Stocking and method of making the same



1 A. E. VAUGHAN, JR 1,975,735

STOCKING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed. April 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Shm eet 1 12 I 12 10 L v :11

J5 WITNESSES 12 IN VEN TOR:

Q BY l M I) A TTORNEYS.

STOCKING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed A ril 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG 11f.

11 fi l2 WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 2, 1934 UNITED STATES STOCKING AND MST Andrew E. Vaughan,

HOD OF MAKING THE AltIE Jr., Pottstown, Pa., as-

signor to The Vaughan Knitting Company, Pottstown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 25, 1932, Serial No. 607,253

,8 Claims.

This invention relates to stockings; and it has reference more particularly to stockings withfold-down tops.

In the main, my invention is directed toward the provision of a stocking f the type specifically referred to with an attach d garter band, which, when the stocking is worn, is concealed within the fold and whichis capable 'of being positionally adjusted to raise or lower the line of the fold and thereby change the length of the stocking.

A further aim of my invention is to make it possible to incorporate a garter having the above indicated attribute, incident to the production of the stocking on the knitting machine.

Other objects and advantages will be manifest from the detailed description following in connection with the attached drawings, wherein Fig.

I shows a seamless stocking embodying my invention, a portion thereof being broken away for ex- !0 posure of important details of construction in diagrammatic section. V

Fig. 11 is a view like Fig. I with the garter band of the stocking differently adjusted.

Fig. III is a fragmentary diagrammatic detail viewlshowing the texture of the garter band ma- Ila Figs. IV, V and VI show successive steps in the method of making the stocking.

Figs. VII and VIII are diagrammatic views illustrating how a stocking embodying my invention may be produced on a flat knitting machine.

With reference first to Figs. I and II of these illustrations the body portion of my improved stocking is indicated at 10, the fold-down top at 11 and the elastic garterband at 12. As shown, the garter band is circumferentially attached only along one of its edges at the juncture 13 between the body portion 10 of the stocking and its fold-down top 11, and concealed within the fold when the stockingis worn. By virtue of its attachment as just described, the garter band 12 may obviously be swung upward as in Fig. I or downward as in Fig. 11, thereby determining different lines of fold for the top 11 and correspondingly varying the length of the stocking. In the present instance the body 10 of the stocking is shown as being of plain knit fabric as conventionally indicated'in Figs. I and II, and the folddown top 11 of ribbed fabric, also as conven-,

tionally indicated, the said ribbed top being of thep same gauge as that of the body portion. The elastic band 12, it will be noted from Fig. 111, is of ribbed fabric knitted to a gage corresponding to that of the body and the fold-down portions 10 and 11 of the stocking so. that said band may be incorporated incident to the knitting of the stocking in the manner which will be presently explained. As conventionally shown Fig. III, the major portion 14 of the garter band 12 is knit from covered rubber yarn with a selvage 15 along one edge, while a relatively narrow marginal portion 16 along the other edge isknit from non-elastic yarn of the same material as that used in the body and top portions 10 and 11 but machine as shown in Fig. V, and simultaneously transfer the garter band 12 and the ribbed top 11 to the needles. With the foregoing accomplished, I finally proceed with the completion of the body portion 10 of the stocking as suggested in Fig. VI. As a result of this procedure, the garter band 12 is directly incorporated, loop for loop, with the fabric of the stocking. The formation of the garter band 12 with the margin 16 of non-elastic yarn is important in that it facilitates application of the band to the points P of the ring R and insures against its slipping off during the transfer under the pull of the rubber in the major portion 15. The marginal portion 16 of the band 12 is moreover important in that it minimizes puckering along the juncture line 13 between the stocking body 10 and the folddown top 11.

To produce a stocking embodying my invention on a flat knitting machine, I proceed as shown in Figs. VII and VIII, wherein the vertically reciprocating needles are indicated at N, the horizontally sliding sinkers at S, and the cooperatingknockovers at K. Here, as in the previously described instance, the fabrics 11 for the rib top and the garter band 12 are separately produced on other machines, and then impaled, as shown in Fig. VIII, one upon the other on the points P of a transfer device R, which-in this instance, has the form of a bar such as is ordinarily used in transferring full fashioned legs onto the fiat portions by which the stocking feet are knitted in integral continuation. With the rib top 11 and the garter band 12 impaled upon the points of the bar It as just explained, the latter is applied tov the needles N of the knitting machine in the usual manner and the parts 11 and i2 transferred, loop for loop, to said needles, said rib top and elastic band being incidentally pushed down below the level of the sinkers S. The knitting machine is thereupon started, and operates to knit the body portion ofthe stocking in the well known way.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A fold-down stocking having an elastic garter band concealed within the fold, said garter band being knit from rubber yarn to the same gage as that of the stocking body and having a marginal portion knit from non-elastic yarn, the said marginal portion being circumferentially attached to the stocking. loop for loop, so that the band may be swung up or down to change the line of the fold and thereby correspondingly vary the length of the stocking. v

2. The method of making a fold-down stocking with an attached garter band, which comprises separately producing a'knitted fold down top; separately producing a garterstrip of like gage knit for the most part from rubber yarn but having a marginal portion along one edge knit from non-elastic yarn; transferring the fold-down top onto the needles of a knitting machine and at the same time impalingthe edge loops of themarginal portion aforesaid of the garter band material; and then proceeding with the knitting of the leg and foot of the stocking.

3. The method of making a fold-down stocking with an attached garter band, which comprises separately producing a rib knitted folddown top; separately producing a garter strip knit to like gage for the most part from rubber yarn but having a marginal portion along one edge thereof knit from non-elastic yarn; transferring the fold-down top to the needles of a knitting machine and at the same time impaling the terminal loops of the marginal portion of the garter strip; and then proceeding with the knitting of the leg and'the foot of the stocking.

- 4. A stocking having a top adapted to be turned down over the body of the stocking; and an elastic garter band-with one edge thereof attached to the body of the fabric for-concealment by the turned-down top and with capacity to be swung up or down to determine different lines of folding and corresponding variations in v stocking.

6. A stocking with a body portion; a separately knit top adapted to be folded down over the body portion; and an elastic garterband having one of its edges attached along the line of juncture between'the stocking body and the fold down top for concealment by the fold-down top and with capacity to be swung up or down to determine "different lines of folding and corresponding variations in the length of the stocking.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a stocking having a plain knit body portion; a rib knit top adapted to be folded down over the body portion; and an elastic garter band having one of its edges circumferentially attached along the line of juncture between the body portion and therib knit top for concealment by the fold down top and with capacity to be swung up or down to determine different lines of folding and corresponding variations in the length of the stocking.

8. A stocking having a plain knit body portion;

a rib knit top adapted to be folded down over the body portion; and a knit rubber inlay garter band of the same gage as that of the stocking E. VAUGHAN, JR. 

